The authorities in Xinjiang are stepping up efforts to promote Mandarin-language education and to sinicise Islam despite the growing international outcry over its policies in the far Western region, reports South China Morning Post.

Beijing is often accused of committing serious human rights violations against Uighurs in Xinjiang.

A new development is observed in the country as China is reportedly targeting more Western clothes retailers as international backlash grows over claims of abuses in the cotton-growing Xinjiang region.

Several major brands have expressed concern over allegations that members of the mostly Muslim Uighur minority group are being used as forced labour.

Some companies' online shops are blocked and their stores have vanished from some digital maps, reports BBC.